World Premier Celebration for Disney's "Lone Ranger" to Benefit Fund

BURBANK, Calif. (May 29, 2013) — Walt Disney Studios Chairman, Alan Horn, announced today that ticket sales from the highly anticipated World Premiere of Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “The Lone Ranger” will benefit the American Indian College Fund. The event will take place on Saturday, June 22, at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California. A giant red carpet down the Park’s iconic Hollywood Boulevard will be lined with thousands of park guests cheering for the film’s stars, filmmakers and the many Hollywood celebrities in attendance. The Lone Ranger’s horse Silver will make an appearance and an actual train engine built for the film will be on display.

“We’ve had a terrific collaboration with the Native American community throughout the production of Disney’s ‘The Lone Ranger,’” said Alan Horn, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “With the world premiere of this exciting film at hand, we are pleased to commemorate the occasion by supporting the American Indian College Fund.”

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Academy Award® winner Gore Verbinski, “The Lone Ranger” is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Johnny Depp stars as a newly imagined Tonto and Armie Hammer plays the masked lawman himself—the Lone Ranger.

Tickets for the premiere event have been donated by Disney to the American Indian College Fund, which will offer them for sale to the public; tickets will be available for purchase starting today. Because Disney is also underwriting the entire cost of the premiere, 100% of the revenues received by the American Indian College Fund for the tickets will be used for scholarships and other support for Native American students. Tickets are priced at $1000.

Fund President, Cheryl Crazy Bull, stated: “The Fund is pleased to be the beneficiary of this event because our scholarships are an investment in a healthier, more prosperous future for tribal students and their families. We are poised to serve over 20,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students attending the tribal colleges across this country. Currently our scholarships serve less than 21% of those students so we appreciate any opportunity to bring resources into our scholarship program.”

Disney California Adventure Park will be hosting the premiere and sponsors will be offering opportunities for the guests in conjunction with the event. Commenting on the premiere event, Tom Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said, “All of us at Disney Parks are thrilled to host the world premiere of ‘The Lone Ranger’ at Disney California Adventure. Disney brings unforgettable stories and characters to life in our movies and in our parks and resorts, so there’s no better place than Disney California Adventure to start this trailblazing film on its journey.”

Time Warner Cable, a title sponsor of the world premiere of Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “The Lone Ranger,” will stream the event LIVE from Disney California Adventure Park.

Visa Signature, a premiere sponsor, will have a fan pen on the red carpet for the first 50 Visa Signature cardholders who show their card.

The Utah Office of Tourism and Film, a premiere sponsor, will provide an opportunity for guests of the park to enter to win a trip to Utah and premiere guests will enjoy a photo opportunity provided by the sponsor. Many of the movie’s memorable scenes were filmed in the Monument Valley area of southern Utah.

Christie Digital, a global visual technologies company with expertise in film projection since 1929, is providing all the projection for “The Lone Ranger” premiere.

A one-of-a-kind Lone Ranger Ninja motorcycle from Kawasaki, a sponsor of the premiere, will be displayed at the event and will be available for the stars in attendance to autograph. The bike will be auctioned off at a later date, with all proceeds going to the American Indian College Fund.

About the Movie:
From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “The Lone Ranger,” a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

A Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films presentation, “The Lone Ranger” is directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski, with screen story by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Justin Haythe and screenplay by Justin Haythe and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio. “The Lone Ranger” releases in U.S. theaters on July 3, 2013.